"I know she's made to be strong, but she's also so fragile, so human."

Lots of times, M will come up to me, see me reading a blog and ask "Who's that?" And I'll say "oh, I don't know. Just some random person." And he gets kind of quiet while looking over my shoulder to see what he can see.

Sometimes, it's someone we know and they have something great happen and I tell him "hey did you know (fill in the blank) about (random person from our past)?" Sometimes, it's someone we know and they're having a trial and I read about it to him, and he'll express his sympathy talk about how he feels for them. I think he's catching on.

Even so, a few months back he asked me "Why do you like to read all these people's blogs? What do you get out of it?" Surprisingly, I had a very ready answer that went something like:

~it's nice to see what people we know are up to~

~sometimes, someone's going through something in their life and I can really relate with it~

~I like hearing different perspectives and learning from them~

Or something (hopefully) more eloquent than that.

One such person will come as no surprise to him, or to any of you. And I know I'm not the only one. But I've had to sit down and articulate it for myself. . . and share it with all of you. (P.S. Did you hear? Nie is now in Utah with her family! I feel her loss from Arizona already. Is that possible?)

Lessons I've Learned from Nie.

~Your sisters really are your best friends~

~You can pack heat and still be graceful~

~Sometimes you should write love letters to your spouse. And your kids. And anyone you love~

~Manners are not dead~

~Neither are red lipstick or aprons~

~A woman CAN be truly and blissfully happy being a mother~

~It's OK to like your hubby's birthday suit. And to say so on your blog~

~"Housewife" doesn't need a "just a" qualifier. And it doesn't have to be a boring "job"~

~Just because you're a mommy and a daddy doesn't mean you can't also be madly in love~

~Life is colorful! And color comes in many forms: shoes, skirts, bowls, snapshots. . . ~

~Strong, centered women come in all sorts of packages~

~Enjoy LIFE every day~

[Title quote is from "The Fifth Element"]